How to Safely Store Your Bulk Shopping Goods

We’ve all heard the money-saving mantra on buying groceries: buy in bulk, stock up on sale items, max out your coupons. But after exercising all of that fiscal responsibility, what’s the best way to store your purchases?

A well-stocked pantry is great, but you need to manage the use-by dates of staples just as carefully as you do your perishable products—just because they have a longer shelf life doesn’t mean they can sit on the shelf forever.

“When stored at room temperature (72 to 85 degrees) pantry items should be fine until the use-by date on the package,” says Teri Gault, CEO and founder of The Grocery Game. Move pantry items far away from the oven, stove, and windows where food products can be affected by changes in temperature, she suggests. Some shelf-stable items, like pasta and grains, are worth repackaging in airtight containers when you bring them home, which will keep them fresh past their sell-by date. Labels may fade or peel off, so make sure to prominently mark the use-by dates on items, especially if you repackage them for storage.

Here are a few suggestions for handling common pantry staples:

Canned foods can last up to five years, but vinegar-based products, such as tomato sauce and sauerkraut, will only last for 12 to 18 months, says Gault.

Dried boxed staples, including pasta, cake mix, flour, sugar, and taco shells, can last six to 12 months, or even longer if transferred into air-tight containers.

Just because pantry staples have a longer shelf life doesn’t mean they can sit on the shelf forever.

Baking supplies such as flour, baking mixes, powdered sugar, cornstarch, etc. will keep past their sell-by date if you can store them in your refrigerator, while baking supplies without leavening or oils can freeze almost indefinitely in airtight containers, suggests Gault.

Condiments such as salad dressings, mayonnaise, mustard, and BBQ sauces should be good for at least six months. Some may last even longer, but all should be refrigerated once opened, of course.

Gault also points out that sales and coupons tend to run in 12-week cycles, so it’s usually not necessary to buy more than a four-month supply of a product to keep you well stocked until the next sale rolls around. Stack a coupon on top of a sale, and you may be able to save almost two-thirds off the price of most pantry items.

If you’re in doubt, the federal government has a website with food safety information where you can get answers to common questions. You can also call the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service helpline at 1-888-674-6854, or chat online with an expert. By strategizing the way you store your bulk goods, you’ll not only save money, but you’ll also spend less time at the grocery store, as well as less time hunting around in your cabinets for kitchen basics.